Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW)

Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW)

Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) is an individualised self-evaluation questionnaire for evaluating changes in the level of Visitor concerns and wellbeing associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment.

A study, which included Visitors from The Haven alongside another cancer support centre, found that the most common concerns held by Visitors were psychological and emotional (Seers et al 2009). Individual concerns were found to significantly improve over time and the most common responses to the question 'what has been the most important aspect for you?' concerning attendance at the centres were 'receiving complementary therapies on an individual or group basis'; 'support and understanding received from therapists' and 'time spent with other patients at the centres'. The methods used for qualitative analysis of data obtained in the MYCaW questionnaire have also been published (Polley et al 2007).

Through a programme of audit we continue to review the ongoing needs of our Visitors and assess their wellbeing using the MYCaW. The findings presented in the latest MYCaW publication (Harrington et al 2011) covering the period from April 2007 to September 2009 confirm the above results and show that 91% of Visitors described their concerns as “gone”, “much better” or “a little better” after receiving complementary therapies. Overall the therapies used most frequently by Visitors to address their concerns were acupuncture, nutritional advice and massage/aromatherapy.

Key findings from the MYCaW study:

•  We have statistically significant results to show that women with breast cancer find the Haven programme effective for addressing their key concerns and improving their wellbeing.
• These effects are consistent across all 3 Havens–in London, Hereford and Leeds.  This gives us confidence that that our unique, in-depth and individually tailored mind-body programme can be successfully transferred to different locations around the country with consistent results.
• Psychological and emotional concerns predominated in our Haven Visitors. After participating in the Haven Programme, 91% of reported scores rated the concern as being a little better, much better or gone.
• Within the programme, in addition to the support of a specialist nurse, the one-to-one therapies most commonly used were acupuncture, nutrition, massage & aromatherapy, shiatsu, counselling and reflexology.